Mumbai: Mumbaikars enchant on birds love on occasion of World Sparrow Day

By Rons Bantwal
Bellevision Media Network

Mumbai, 20 Mar 2014: Despite the large scale urbanization in the metro, the chirpings of birds are still heard.  Yes.  The credit in this regard goes to a few bird lovers who have allocated a few inches of space in their apartments to nurture the birds by growing plants in pots in window sills and a corner of balconies.

 

A flock of sunbirds are found who have made their nest in skyscrapers in the midst of concrete jungle.  A few plants with flowers rich in nectars are carefully mended in a few balconies of high rise apartment complexes, says Monga, a birds enthusiast.  ‘Crows and doves don’t need much rearing, because they are found aplenty in Mumbai,’ says Monga.

 

Journalist Rons Bantwal

He has transformed his balcony at his home to be birds’ sanctuary by growing several plants in pots.  The birds are daily fed with varieties of pulses, puffed rice, wheat, broken rice and supplied with water by pipes. He will have his daily breakfast in the balcony feeding the birds and enjoying their company.  ‘At times, I feel I am in the midst of jungle, when I get to hear the chirpings of different birds including rarely parrots, sparrow, doves, crow and etc,’ says Rons.  He also explains the agitating birds, especially crows for their due share of food, when there is delay during breakfast or lunch. Whenever, Rons had to go out of metro for a few days, he will assign the task of feeding the birds to his trusted neighbor.  He will also call his neighbor everyday enquiring about the birds.  His family also shares his hobby of caring the birds.  He would carry a little food to feed the birds whenever he travels along with his family.  Rons is against caging the birds, because he believes they ought to be let to live freely thereby express his environmental concern.

 

Falcon Offshore Service Private Limited managing director Conald J Baptist who has a office in Vyapar Bhavan, P D Mello Road, Carnac Bunder, here hung up several birds nests and made sprinkler facility to feed water to varieties of birds, besides feeds them with expensive food and assigned the task to an employee.

 

Association of Masonic Ladies Mumbai Centre vice president Prabha N Suvarna who lives an apartment at Dadar (East) also feeds birds.

 

South Mumbai’s environmentalist Aandy Laijawala also feeds parrots and sparrows that flock to his apartment.  She does not spread the grains on the floor, because that attracts doves.  Around 20 to 30 parrots are in her care already.

 

The apartment of Indira Bhende, who lives at I C Colony, Borivali (West), has birds nest for different varieties and the birds merrily enjoy bathing in the sprinkling water.  The sparrows and bulbuls and other tiny birds regularly flock to her apartment.  The birds race will be held in metro on Sunday March 23, said Indira.

 

Lokandawala complex, a posh locality in the western suburb of Andheri is known for paradise fly catcher Sanjay Monga who is the expert in identifying the birds nest on public places and converted his home into a bird sanctuary by sheltering them.  He has hung up birds nest even outside his bedroom.

 

 

The neighbours in his locality handed him their birds’ nest and supply food.  He has grown a few plants at his apartment complex that yield fruits and flowers rich in nectar.  He has grown lemon tree to attract butterflies because its larvae is being used to feed the offspring of birds.

 

Today being World Sparrow Day,  let us hope that the endangered sparrows grow in large numbers, so that we could hear their tweets in our daily lives.